“Is this Manu Ginobili guy as good as you keep saying Pop?”: Tim Duncan doubted Spurs Hall of Fame at first but became a fan quickly

Despite being a European legend at the age of 25, Manu Ginobili didn’t have the confidence of Tim Duncan.

Manu Ginobili is not just a legend of San Antonio and Argentinian basketball anymore. He is officially one of the NBA’s all-time greats with his recent enshrinement into the Hall of Fame class of 2022.

However, the two-time All-Star is now among the handful of stars with lesser individual honours than most of the names in the hall of the legendary museum in Springfield, Massachusetts.

But the sacrifices he made despite having the calibre to be the star of a franchise and still playing the role of a 3rd/4th best player for Gregg Popovic and Tim Duncan’s Spurs throughout his career, make him Manu.

Also read: “I used to talk to his life-size poster in my bedroom”: Manu Ginobili talks Michael Jordan upon being enshrined into the 2022 Hall of Fame

From almost going undrafted in 1999 and having doubts about his selection from even The Big Fundamental, Ginobili turned around his fandom in a year.

It took a few months for Manu Ginobili to impress Tim Duncan

The arguable greatest 6th man of the NBA, Manu, didn’t find it easy after he got picked up as the 57th pick by the 1999 Champs in the same year when they won their first Championship.

He played for three more years in Italy, winning everything individually as well as for his Virtus Bologna team in the Italian first tier as well as in Euroleague, before being called up by Popovic to play in the United States, among the best talent in the world.

But according to Pop, Tim was in doubt about the team’s decision to pick up the EuroLeague’s Finals MVP.

Obviously, Manu didn’t take long to clear not just Duncan’s but the doubts of everyone in the League that a slander 6’6 guard who injured his ankles while showcasing his fancy European move as soon as making it to the top, was there for the long haul.

He didn’t just help Spurs win their second championship and the 3rd, 4th, and 5th but also made his Euro-step one of the most famous moves in the league, which now almost all NBA players use to get past their opponents.

Some of them, like James Harden, have reached perfection with it, some still think of Manu when they practice it but can’t do it like him on the big stage.

Also read: “Hey Steve Kerr! If we score more points, we win the game?!”: Tim Duncan hilariously mocked 9x NBA champ’s game plan